On June 8, during Israel’s preemptive Six-Day War, an act of aggression,
not self-defense against regional Arab states, the IDF did the unthinkable.

It provocatively attacked its main ally, striking the USS Liberty
intelligence gathering ship, in international waters about 25.5
nautical miles northwest of Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula in international
waters.

The incident took 34 US lives, another 171 wounded, the vessel
severely damaged, lucky to stay afloat.

It was deployed to monitor belligerents’ communications in response
to Israeli aggression on Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Iraq - not the
other way around.

“The Egyptian Army concentrations in the Sinai approaches (did) not
prove that (President Gamal Abdel) Nasser was really about to attack
us. We must be honest with ourselves. We decided to attack him.”

“I do not believe Nasser wanted war. The two divisions which he sent
into Sinai on May 14 would not have been enough to unleash an
offensive against Israel. He knew it and we knew it.”

In 1978, Israeli Air Force Commander General Mordechai Hod said:

“Sixteen years of planning had gone into those initial eighty
minutes. We lived with the plan. We slept on the plan. We ate the
plan. Constantly we perfected it.”

In April 1972, IDF chief General Haim Barlev said “(w)e were not
threatened with genocide on the eve of the six-day war, and we had
never thought of such a possibility.”

Other Israeli political and military officials admitted the same
thing. Israel wasn’t threatened. Yet it lawlessly and aggressively
attacked four regional countries without just cause - along with its
main ally America.

Israel knew the ship’s identity, its US flag clearly visible. Good
weather conditions made it easy to spot.

Israeli warplanes circled overhead before attacking, at times low
enough for US sailors to wave to its pilots. They waved back before
opening fire with rockets and machine guns against the lightly armed
vessel.

A second wave of planes used napalm, setting parts of the deck
ablaze. Israeli attack boats struck the vessel with torpedoes,
causing a 40-foot-wide hole in its hull, flooding lower
compartments, causing the ship to list 10 degrees, a defenseless
smoking hulk, lucky to avoid sinking.

Four other Israeli torpedoes missed their target. Its warplanes
strafed the Liberty at close range.

The ship’s radio frequencies were jammed to prevent a distress call
for help. When finally able to communicate, it was too late. The
damage was done, the human toll testimony to Israeli viciousness.

When attack began, the Liberty was following its signal-intercept
mission off Sinai’s coast in international waters at a speed of
about five knots.

Israeli forces were ordered to fire on any unidentified vessels
proceeding at over 20 knots - at the time, a speed only warships
could attain.

The Liberty was clearly identified. Israeli claims otherwise were
lies. It took 16 hours for two US destroyers to arrive, then a third
warship.

Medical help was provided. Liberty was escorted to Malta for repairs
enough to return to America.

Decommissioned a year later, the ship was removed from Naval Vessel
Register listings, part of Washington’s coverup.

Maintaining strong US/Israeli ties mattered more than the lives of
its seamen. Liberty survivors were decorated quietly, its Captain
William McGonagle awarded Congressional Medal of Honor recognition -
the nation’s highest award for valor in action against an enemy
force.

Israeli aggression wasn’t mentioned. A US Naval Court of Inquiry
claimed no responsibility “to rule on the culpability of the
attackers, and no evidence was heard from the attacking nation.”

It lied saying “available evidence combines to indicate a case of
mistaken identity.”

At the same time, it found “heroism displayed by the commanding
officer, (along with) officers and men of the Liberty exceptional.”

A Joint Chief of Staff’s report contained evidence relating only to
communication system failures. Nothing about Israeli aggression.

Israel and America whitewashed the incident, part of covering up IDF
aggression, committing war crimes against regional nations and its
main ally.

Surviving crew members were ordered to stay silent about the
incident. The disturbing truth is well known today - though
officially the Big Lie about what happened persists.

Israel attacked the Liberty to prevent information on what its was
up to from getting out - preemptively attacking four regional
nations, seizing the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Gaza, Syria’s Golan
Heights and Egypt’s Sinai peninsula.

The Sinai was returned to Egypt as part of the 1978 Camp David
Accords. Palestinian territories have remained illegally occupied
since 50 years ago this month.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at
lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in
Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

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